Leaked specs show that the Ferrari 812 Superfast rival uses Aston's turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 engine in its most potent state yet, offering 715bhp and 664lb ft of torque to enable a 0-60mph time of 3.4sec. Drive is sent rearwards through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission that has been specially adapted to handle the additional torque.

There are clear design links to theDB11 and Vantage, but the car has sleeker tail-lights and quad exhausts with sharper, more aggressive front-end styling to emphasise its added potency.

As confirmed by previous testing shots, the DBS Superleggera will also spawn a convertible version that looks set to become the brand's fastest drop-top yet. Following the coupé in June, the DBS Superleggera Volante, which has just been spotted testing for the first time, will arrive in early 2019 to create a pair of high-performance successors to the current Vanquish and Vanquish Volante.

In keeping with the Superleggera name, which has through history been reserved for only the highest-performance Astons, the DBS Superleggera will move away from the luxury-focused Vanquish and its present rivals, such as the Bentley Continental GT, to compete against proper performance models including the 789bhp Ferrari 812 Superfast.

Company boss Andy Palmer stated his intentions for this harder Vanquish successor to Autocar last year, alongside confirmation that the convertible version would follow.

More recently, Aston chief creative officer Marek Reichman emphasised the DBS Superleggera's potential, stating that the brand has "pushed the boundaries of performance and design to give this car a distinct character and ensure it’s worthy of the heritage and weight that this name carries".

Early mules for the DBS Superleggera, described as “bloody good” by Palmer, were based on a DB11 because the car's structure is an adjusted version of that car's (as well as the new V8 Vantage's). Palmer has previously emphasised the adaptability of the new structure, telling Autocar that each car that it is spawning is helping Aston shed "perceptions of old technology, old platforms and the question of whether we can survive as an independent manufacturer".

And the next Vanquish is going to be mid-engined. The excuse they're using for spending all of Aston's profits on F1 pretending to supply Red Bull with engines, which they themselves don't produce for their own cars!

Remain as Vanquish not the DBS or anything else. I hope James Bond get this in next mission in Bond 25. The current Vanquish was relased in 2012 but we remember in Skyfall only the classic DB5. DB10 in SPECTRE but concept.

Looks lovely and low on the side view. I hope they are easy to tell apart from each other. Since the DB9 they've all been very hard to identify from each other at a glance. Jolly nice looking things though.